Bringer of Love
by writerchic16
Summary: The angels return to the Bakers to help them through Erica’s losing final battle with cancer, and college student Lucy’s shocking news. Sequel to “Bringer of Light” episode.
1. Chapter 1

**Bringer of Love**

Summary: The angels return to the Bakers to help them through Erica's cancer, and college student Lucy's relationship with her boyfriend. Sequel to "Bringer of Light" episode.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

There was no chaos in the Baker kitchen. While for many other families, the morning before school might be messy and loud, this one was just the opposite. Monica could see that over the years, the small family had formed a quiet breakfast routine. The father, John, helped his wife Erica to her seat at the head of the table. Lucy, their twenty-year-old daughter, got milk out of the fridge, then went to the cabinet to get cereal bowls. Without even asking her parents what they wanted, she put down the milk and filled each bowl with Cheerios and wetted them with only a few splashes of milk. Then the young woman brought the bowls to each of her parents before she served herself.

"Lucy certainly has grown up," Monica remarked to the two other angels at her side, Gloria and Tess. She'd been told that Andrew would be joining them, but she didn't know when.

Tess nodded, her gaze still on the family. "She's twenty now, angel girl. She's done a lot of growing up in the past five years. Maybe more than she should have."

"Wait, you've met them before?" Gloria asked in confusion. This was their first meeting about the assignment. "What was your assignment last time?"

_Last time_, Monica thought with a frown. _The poor family, they've been through so much already._ "Yes, Gloria, five years ago. John is a scientist who refused to believe in God, but he does now, as does his family. We were also here when…he and Lucy discovered that Erica would be fighting ovarian cancer for a second time."

Gloria's eyes widened. "Ovarian cancer? Then how…" She paused, as if to choose her words carefully. "I mean, it's great that Erica's lived this long, but…"

"She's a fighter, little angel," Tess explained. "And her faith has given her strength. But her strength has finally run out, and the Father is calling her home."

At that news, Monica looked at Erica again. The woman was pale, and her pajamas seemed to sag on her frail body. She hadn't touched the cereal in front of her, and it appeared that she was using all her energy just to sit upright in the chair. Monica's heart sank, both at Erica's condition, and the memory of how distraught Lucy had been when she first learned the seriousness of ovarian cancer. "Oh, Tess…Lucy and John will be devastated. They're such a close family, those two will miss her so much. I can already tell by how much they take care of her now."

"But fortunately, they've grown closer over the last few years. They'll be able to comfort each other through their faith that Erica will be in Heaven," Tess assured her.

"I can't believe that John didn't believe in God before," Gloria confessed, amazed. "How can anyone not believe in God? He's…everywhere, in everything."

"Well, John understands that now, thanks to his daughter's faith," Tess replied. She continued to watch the Baker family, who were moving through their morning routine. John read the science section of the newspaper, while Erica asked Lucy about her plans for the day.

Gloria noticed this conversation as well. "Lucy goes to college? So Erica's alone most of the day? That doesn't seem right."

Much to both of the other angels' confusion, Tess chuckled and turned to Gloria. "Well, I'm glad you feel that way, little angel. Because for the length of this assignment, you're going to be Erica's live-in nurse."

"Oh, that's good! I'll start reading up on ovarian cancer, then maybe on nursing…" Gloria replied, almost to herself as she began to think of reading material.

Monica gave Gloria an encouraging smile, then turned to the other angel. "What am I going to be doing, Tess?"

"You're going to be working at a children's day care, angel girl," Tess informed her. "It's where Lucy and William volunteer. William is Lucy's boyfriend, and he'll be your assignment as well."

"Boyfriend? For how long?" Monica asked out of curiosity. She was happy for Lucy. Given that the young woman had chosen to attend local college to stay home with her mother, Monica presumed that Lucy didn't take much time for herself.

"Since last April when they met at the day care center. He's a very important part of her life," Tess answered. When there was a brief pause in conversation, she said, "Well, aren't either of you going to ask what _I'm_ going to be doing for this assignment?"

Gloria and Monica traded bewildered, yet amused, looks before the younger angel replied, "Oh, I'm sorry, Tess. What are you going to be doing?"

"_I_," Tess began, a happy note to her voice. "Am going to be _assistant vice principal_ at the school where John teaches." She appeared to enjoy the thought, a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

Monica suddenly felt very sorry for the first unsuspecting high school student who got detention under Tess' watch. "I'm sure you'll be great at that, Tess," Monica replied, though she suspected that was an understatement.

Though she seemed to share Monica's concern, Gloria only smiled and nodded. "Yeah! That's perfect for you!"

"I thought so," Tess agreed. "John is going to be taking his class on field trips to the planetarium this year, and I'll be going along as a chaperone."

There was a small crash, and the three angels redirected their attention to the family. Erica had knocked over her bowl of cereal, probably because her reflexes had deteriorated. "I'm so sorry!" Erica was saying, tears in her eyes as she attempted to get up to clean the mess.

"It's alright, honey," John assured her. He'd put down his paper and rushed to her side. Both he and his daughter noticed that Erica could barely lift herself from the chair. "Here, why don't you go get some rest? I'll help you back to bed," John said while he began to help her stand up.

Lucy also gave her mother a comforting smile and ran to get some paper towels for the milk, which was seeping into John's newspaper. "Don't worry, I'll clean this up. And I'll come in to say good bye before I go to class."

It was clear in Erica's eyes that she felt guilty that her family had to fuss over her, but she smiled anyway. "You two, you're so good to me. I love you so much."

"We love you too," Lucy and John replied in unison. Then Lucy went to clean the kitchen table, and John began to help Erica to the hallway.

In the corner of the kitchen near the door, Andrew appeared. He gave the other angels a nod in greeting, then followed John and Erica.

Tess nodded back. Before Gloria or Monica could ask, she explained, "Andrew's going to be watching over Erica, until it's time to take her home. That could be in two weeks or two days from now, we still don't know."

"Then we better get started on this assignment now," Monica suggested. The other angels agreed, and all three vanished from the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I'm so happy people are reading this!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

A minute after she observed the family for the first time, Gloria was at the Baker doorstep. She quickly glanced around, and sure enough, Monica and Tess were gone. Her assignment had officially started.

She kept in mind that John and Lucy were on their way out of the house as she raised her hand to ring the doorbell. Chances were she'd be an interruption they didn't need on a busy morning.

Her theory was proved correct when, before she could actually ring the doorbell, Lucy whipped the door open and knocked right into her. "Oh!" Gloria exclaimed in surprise as she jumped back.

"Oh my gosh, I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't see you," Lucy apologized while she helped Gloria steady herself.

"It's alright," Gloria replied once she'd straightened her glasses. "I'm from the hospital. Your father called and asked for an in home nurse."

Lucy hesitated and gave Gloria a once-over. "Really? He didn't tell me."

"Well, he only called a couple of days ago and probably didn't expect someone so soon," Gloria assured her. Normally, the hospital had a wait list – without divine intervention, Erica probably wouldn't have gotten help in time.

"Okay…" Lucy said, then checked her watch. Her eyes widened instantly and she adjusted the messenger bag strap on her shoulder. "Look…"

"Gloria," Gloria informed her with a smile.

"Gloria, sorry, but I really have to get to class. I'm Lucy, by the way. Nice to meet you!" Lucy called over her shoulder as she began to run down the walkway to her car, parked in front of the house.

Gloria waved good-bye when Lucy pulled out of the parking space, then turned around to notice that the front door was left open. "Hello?" she called and took a tentative step into the front hallway. "Mr. Baker?"

"Hello?" John called from the bedroom hallway, and soon after he arrived at the foyer entrance from the kitchen. He gave her a perplexed look, trying to figure out what she was doing there. "Who are you?"

A warm smile on her face, Gloria stuck out her hand for him to shake. "Hi! I'm Gloria, from the hospital. You called about an in home nurse."

"Oh, right," John replied in surprise and shook her hand. "I just…the nurse who took my form told me not to get my hopes up."

Gloria nodded. "Well, miracles happen."

"Right," John said. Like his daughter, Gloria noticed that he was looking at her with a critical eye. It was clear that the two were very protective of Erica. "Anyway, I'm John, and your patient, Erica, is in her bedroom on this floor. The three other bedrooms – one of which is yours – are upstairs, but we had to convert the office into a bedroom for those days when she can't make it up the stairs. I hope you don't mind the separation, but unless you want to take the living room couch…"

"Don't worry, I understand. The hospital is going to provide both me and Erica with cell phones, so that she can contact me any time," Gloria informed him. "This way, like, if I'm cleaning in another part of the house – "

"Wait, cleaning? But you're just here to take care of Erica," John argued.

Gloria shook her head. "No, I was told to take care of the home as well. Of course, Erica comes first, but if she ever doesn't need me, I'll help out around here, if you don't mind."

"Mind? You'd be my hero," John joked. "Between Erica and Lucy and work, I'm afraid housekeeping is far down on my list of priorities."

"That's perfectly understandable," Gloria assured him.

Confused, John looked down to where her empty hands fell at her sides. "I guess…you'll be getting your clothes and personal items later?"

"Yes, it's…" Gloria trailed off when she realized he had a good point. On a hunch, she opened the front door. She let out a sigh of relief when she found a large suitcase and duffel bag on the front porch. _Thank you, Father_, she thought. "It's right here."

"Oh. Well, let me help you with that. I'll introduce you to Erica, then I'll bring these upstairs so you two can talk," John offered. He threw the duffel bag over his shoulder and popped up the handle on the suitcase, which rolled.

"Thank you so much," Gloria said as they began to walk down the foyer and made a left. On the left hand side, Gloria got a glimpse of an informal living room. "That's very nice of you. So, tell me…how is Erica doing these days?"

Since they were close to what was presumably the entrance to Erica's room on the right side of the hallway, John stopped walking and lowered his voice. "It varies," he explained. "Yesterday she had a lot of energy, up walking around, even helped Lucy make dinner. But then today, she could barely sit upright at the table for breakfast. Not that she could eat any of it, anyway."

"I'll try to get her to eat as much as she can. Does she get outside much? Maybe we could go for a walk," Gloria replied. She already couldn't wait to get to know Erica. In the time they had together, Gloria hoped they would become friends.

John smiled at the suggestion. "That would be great. We have a big backyard. She used to love walking out there with Lucy and I, looking at the stars."

"Maybe we can all do that one night," Gloria suggested.

"Maybe," John replied, but the unenthusiastic note to his voice revealed that he didn't seem to think that would be possible. With a sigh, he lightly knocked on the door. "Erica, honey? Are you awake?"

"John?"

At the response, John pushed open the door. While he stayed in the doorway, Gloria walked into the small room, painted a bright yellow and accented with beige and blue cushions and pillows. A full-sized bed stood against the wall to Gloria's left, a large television was against the right wall, and a beautiful bay window filled the wall opposite the entrance.

Andrew's appearance earlier in mind, Gloria had almost expected to see him. But as far as she could tell, he wasn't there. That didn't mean he wasn't, of course.

"John? I thought you were leaving for work," Erica said, then noticed Gloria's presence. "Hello," she acknowledged with a smile.

Before Gloria could introduce herself, John said, "Honey, this is Gloria. The hospital sent her to take care of you. She'll be living with us for a while."

"Hi. It's great to meet you," Gloria greeted as she went to the bedside and shook Erica's hand. "Anything you need, just ask. Or if you just want to talk, that's fine too."

"That's good to know," Erica replied. Thankfully she didn't seem to mind Gloria's presence, as both her voice and her eyes only conveyed welcome.

Introductions made, John turned to leave. "Alright, Erica, I'm going to drop these bags off in Gloria's room, then I'm going to head off to work. Love you, honey, and Gloria, I'll talk with you more when I get home. Lucy's volunteering at the day care center after class today, so she'll be home a little late."

"Love you, John," Erica replied, and soon John had left the doorway.

Left alone with Erica, Gloria gave her patient a bright smile and asked, "So, Erica, have you had breakfast today?"

Erica frowned. "Well, no. Lucy poured me some cereal, but I wasn't hungry."

"Alright, I'll make you a real breakfast then. Then we can chat," Gloria suggested. When Erica nodded in agreement, Gloria headed towards the kitchen in search of breakfast food.

* * *

Lucy ran across the center of her campus, her Bible in her hand. Since the Bible Studies literature class had run late, _again_, she only had less than ten minutes to make a mad dash to the outskirts of the campus. When she worked out her volunteer schedule at the campus day care center, a half hour between the class and the start of her shift seemed like enough time. But she hadn't factored in how far the center turned out to be from her classroom building, or that her class ran at least ten minutes late _every time_.

_I know it's a sacred book and all…but why does it have to be so _heavy_?_ Lucy thought. In too much of a rush, she hadn't bothered with putting the book in her messenger bag. But she was tempted to do it while she ran or risk that it might fall. She wasn't sure, but that was probably sacrilege.

To keep her mind off the actual trip, Lucy thought about her steady boyfriend, William. The end of this month marked their six month anniversary, and he was already piquing her curiosity with hints of an elaborate date night. She didn't know what she did to deserve a great guy like him, but the fact that she met him because he'd already been a volunteer should have tipped her off to his amazing, sensitive personality. With three younger siblings, he'd grown up around kids, and was planning to be a teacher. Volunteering at the center would give him experience he needed on his resume, true, but he confessed that he was just a big kid inside and had a blast when he helped out there.

She wished her own motives had been more altruistic. Never one for kids herself, she'd groaned when a scholarship demanded that she volunteer…and the day care had been the only place on campus with open spots. To this day, she mostly helped out with chores like keeping the area clean and making snacks. All the kids loved William, but she doubted half of them knew her name – which was perfectly fine with her.

The fact was, the day care was always looking for volunteers. At this point in time, her and William were the only volunteers who returned after the summer. Even the manager had quit, so she and William were temporarily in charge. Well, as of today, they weren't anymore. William had called her right before class, excited that the college found someone willing to take the extremely low pay – a woman named Monica. Previously, the manager had been one of the adjunct professors. The story she was told was that when he was offered a better job, Monica walked into the college's office with her resume the day after he quit.

At first, Lucy felt guilty about this. With how sick her mother was, she had almost turned down the scholarship so she didn't have to spend extra time away from home. However, both her parents argued against it and insisted that not only would the scholarship money be helpful, but Lucy needed a life of her own. Still, Lucy only worked for four hours at a time, so she was away just enough to please both the scholarship foundation and her parents. With her mother in the condition she was, it was impossible _not_ to feel guilty if she spent time away from home more than necessary.

Finally, Lucy reached the front doors of the center, a single-floor brick building situated about a mile back from the nearest line of school buildings. Since it was just big enough for the day care center, she found that most students thought it was for school storage. But inside was a huge room about the size of four classrooms, painted a cheery blue, and complete with a side office. For the moment there were about twelve kids, ages three to nine, signed up for the semester. While students were supposed to sign them up beforehand, the number often went up or down depending on whatever special cases came up during the year.

"Hi, Amy," Lucy greeted once she spotted the new volunteer, who was running late as well. The freshman joined them when a friend needed the center's services, and was quickly becoming Lucy's friend. "I'm glad someone else is late today," Lucy joked.

Amy, a girl with hair paler than Lucy's and glasses, gave her a nervous smile. "Me too. Well, guess we'll learn first hand how tough the new manager is. William texted me and the other volunteers the APB." Her deep brown eyes traveled down to the Bible in Lucy's arms. "Your class run late again?"

"Yeah. I'm thinking I should just push my shift back ten minutes, rather than do this mini-marathon twice a week," Lucy replied. The two turned to the front doors and let out simultaneous deep breaths. Then, Lucy pushed open the door.

Luckily, there was no manager waiting at the entrance with an angry frown on her face. Quite the opposite – William had come up and greeted her with a kiss. "Hey, Lucy, glad you made it."

"_Ew_! Ms. Monica, William and that girl are kissing!"

Embarrassed, Lucy pulled away to find that one of the kids, an energetic five-year-old boy named Matthew, had made the exclamation and run to get the new manager. William, however, laughed and remarked, "Public indecency isn't exactly the way to get on the boss' good side, huh?"

"Ha, ha," Lucy replied. But if William had already been there for a while and didn't seem too worried, she took it as a sign that the manager couldn't be that bad.

"Uh oh," Amy quipped and mockingly pointed to where Matthew was dragging the manager over. "You're in _trouble_…"

When Matthew had pulled Monica over to the three teenagers, Monica crossed her arms and pretended to give them a stern look. Lucy could tell it was an act for the five-year-old, because it seemed that the woman was barely able to contain an amused smile. "What's this I hear about kissing?" Monica playfully demanded.

"Oh, uh, it was nothing," William answered, his eyes lowered in false shame. "Just a quick kiss. I promise it will never happen again."

Monica nodded. "See that it doesn't." She then glanced down at Matthew. "Would you like to add anything?"

"Not really," Matthew answered, seemingly satisfied with the punishment, but still gave William a baffled look. "Dude, don't you know? Girls have _cooties_."

William couldn't help but laugh. "I didn't realize that."

"Yeah, tons of them," Matthew replied. Content that William was now properly informed, he ran off to play with his friends.

Once he was out of earshot, the adults burst out into laughter. "Sorry I had to be so strict with you two, but you know, cooties area _very_ serious matter," Monica joked. She then held out her hand for the late arrivals to shake. "Hello, I'm Monica."

Amy shook her hand first. "Hi, I'm Amy."

"Nice to meet you, Amy. So, you must be Lucy, then," Monica said as she shook Lucy's hand. "William's told me about you. And, all the other volunteers, of course."

Though she shook Monica's hand, Lucy hesitated to respond. There was something completely familiar about the woman. It was like when she ran into someone from middle school, but couldn't place the person in her memory. She was positive that she had met Monica before, but she didn't know when or where. All she knew was that…there was a sense of trust and friendship, which she never felt when she met someone she supposedly hadn't met before.

Well, whatever, at least she liked the woman who would be her boss. There was no sense in asking Monica if they'd ever met before, since from the way Monica spoke, she clearly didn't know Lucy. "Oh, really?" Lucy replied, as if nothing had happened. "Well, it's a relief to meet you. When the other manager told William and I that he was planning to quit, we were really worried that the college wouldn't find someone."

About to respond, Monica was distracted when a three-year-old named Stephanie tugged on Monica's leg. "Ms. Monica?" she asked in a near whisper. When Monica looked down, Stephanie asked, "Is it nap time yet? I'm sleepy."

"Yes it is," Monica answered, then picked up the small child. "I was just about to ask Lucy, William and Amy to help me set up. Would you like to help?" When Stephanie nodded, Monica turned to the teenagers. "Alright, I'm presuming that you three know what to do?"

"Yeah. I usually help the kids put away the toys and games, while Lucy and Amy get the mats," William answered. Nap time was for anyone who wanted to take one, but was mostly just for those five and under. For the others, it was a "quiet time," when they were instructed to do a quiet, calm activity like reading or coloring.

"Thank you," Monica replied. She glanced around the room, then turned to Stephanie. "So, Stephanie, what do you say we go help those kids put away that pile of blocks?" Stephanie smiled, and Monica went off to where four kids were trying to get a massive mound of blocks into a large storage tub.

"Well, I guess I better go help," William said, then glanced around and whispered to Lucy, "Hey, you think I'll get caught by the Cootie Police if I kiss you again?"

Lucy chuckled. Hanging out with him over the summer was great, but she'd missed working with him. She pretended to look out for toddlers before she answered, "I think we're safe."

Just to be cautious, he only gave her a quick peck on the check. Still, it was enough to put a smile on her face when she left with Amy to go get the nap mats.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Alright, we've got about five minutes left. I'm going to end the lesson early…" John began. As he expected, the twenty teenagers in his class whispered a celebratory "yes!" and began to shove their books in their schoolbags. John held up his hands so they would stop. "Wait, you still have to listen to me though." He ignored the students' groans and continued, "I ended early to remind you all that you need to get your permission slips signed for the planetarium labs as soon as possible. And that anyone who brings it in late gets five points off their next test."

The students groaned again. John suspected that many of them lost their permissions slips, which were handed out a week ago since only seven students had handed theirs in already. Well, that was their problem. Fifteen-year-olds should be able to take responsibility for getting a piece of paper signed by a parent. "To prepare you for the sessions, I have this handout," he said. He took a stack of worksheet packets from his desk, divided it in half, and handed one pile each to the two students on either end of the classroom to be passed around. "In these packets you will find two pictures with a bunch of different colored and sized dots, with a number next to each. Those are stars, planets, and moons – all things you will find in the night sky projection at the planetarium. You all see where I'm going with this, yes?"

"Yes Mr. Baker," about half the students replied. The others gave him annoyed looks. One student half raised his hand but didn't wait for John to call on him. "You mean we gotta ID the whole freakin' sky?"

There was a trickle of laughter, and John shook his head. "No, Dean, you don't have to 'ID the whole freakin' sky.' These are only areas of the planetarium display, and don't worry, I'll point out which two each of you has been individually assigned – the planetarium also has a grid projection that divides up the sky into squares for educational use. You all will be relieved to note that these are basic identifications, most of which we've seen in class. This packet will count for one third of the entire planetarium grade, so I expect…"

His lecture on coursework quality was cut short when the end-of-class bell rang. The students bolted out of there before he could say another word.

"What _do_ you expect, John?"

Surprised, John turned to find an elderly woman in his doorway once the classroom was empty. From the teacher-appropriate attire she wore, he guessed she was a new colleague he hadn't met yet. "They'll never know, I suppose," John joked, then welcomed her into the classroom. However, he would have to keep it short – it was his last class of the day, and he wanted to get home to his wife. "So, how can I help you?"

"Well, my name is Tess. I'm the new assistant vice principal," she answered and held out her hand for him to shake.

_New assistant vice principal?_ John thought while he shook her hand. _Since when? Why didn't I hear about this?_ At the very least, an email would have been sent around. "Oh, hello Tess, nice to meet you. I didn't even realize that Vice Principal Phillips hired someone," he answered.

"It was a sudden decision," Tess explained. "I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I'll be your chaperone for the planetarium trips."

John raised an eyebrow. "Oh. No offense intended, but I thought one of the PTA parents would be coming. Typically the assistant vice principal doesn't do this sort of thing."

"Baby, you'll learn soon enough that I'm not your typical assistant vice principal," Tess replied with a smile. "And anyway, none of the parents volunteered, so I stepped in. I like to keep track of what's going on in the different departments, and science happens to be first on my list."

"Aren't I lucky," John replied, but it took a determined effort to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Tess was one more stress he didn't need. While a parent would have been easy enough to deal with, he had a feeling that he and Tess would butt heads more than once over the course of the planetarium trips.

Tess nodded in agreement to his remark, then said, "I have an idea. Why don't we get a cup of coffee at the teacher's lounge to get to know each other? I have some suggestions for planetarium coursework."

_And here we go_, John thought in aggravation. He already _had_ all of the activities planned out, and didn't need Tess' help. All he needed her to do was what she'd been assigned to do – chaperone. "Look, Tess, that's good of you to offer, but I think I'm fine with coursework. Besides, I really have to get home to my wife," he quickly replied as he passed her and reached the classroom door.

"Oh? Special occasion?" Tess asked.

At the innocent question, John hesitated. He didn't normally advertise about his wife's condition, but he figured that if he and Tess were going to be working together, the assistant vice principal should know. "Well, not exactly," John answered. "My wife…she has ovarian cancer, and her in home nurse just started work today. I'm eager to get home to see how things went."

Tess frowned in sympathy and walked out of the classroom. "I'm sorry about that, baby. We can always have coffee another time."

"That would be nice," John said, for the sole purpose of being polite. "I guess I'll see you around school." When she nodded and left, John locked the classroom door and headed out the door. He hadn't been lying when he said he wanted to check on his wife. All day long he'd been extremely worried about how well the nurse was taking care of Erica, so much that he called the house at least three times during his breaks. Even his students noticed his anxious, jittery behavior. For the sake of his mental health, he _needed_ to get home as fast as he could.

* * *

When Erica woke up from her afternoon nap, she breathed a sigh of relief. The room was empty. The muted noise of the vacuum cleaner in the hallway revealed Gloria's location.

It wasn't that she didn't _like_ the young nurse. In fact, she was both amused and intrigued by Gloria's constant perkiness and curiosity. But Gloria also didn't know the meaning of companionable silence. While they watched television or played card games, Gloria kept up a stream of questions about everything from Erica's family to her childhood. It got to the point where Erica sent her out of the room for a glass of water just to hear what was happening in a scene of her favorite soap opera.

This was only the first day, of course, so Erica predicted that Gloria would mellow out after a few days. Hopefully.

Then Erica glanced at the phone at her bedside, as if her waking up would cue it to ring. Another consistent interruption was John. True, she loved when he called once or twice during the day, but today he had been borderline obsessive. This she also hoped would fade before the week was over.

She didn't like all this fuss over her. By nature, she didn't love being the center of attention, so this was one more reason to hate her disease. It put her in a position that people with their own lives had to take care of her.

Of course, she hated cancer more because she was going to die soon. But not because she was afraid to die. No, she had faith, and knew that she would be going to Heaven. Her fate troubled her because she would be leaving John and Lucy behind. They…they were so alike that they still fought. John's discovery of his faith in God, while a miracle in itself, hadn't solved all their family problems. There were plenty of other issues where Lucy wanted John to listen to her, but he shut her out and insisted on his way.

"God help this family," Erica said in a quiet, pleading whisper.

Erica jumped slightly when the bedroom door opened and Gloria poked her head in "Oh, good, you're up! I'm about to start making some lasagna for dinner. Do you think you feel up to helping me?"

A 'no' at the tip of her tongue, Erica paused. She actually felt more energized than she had been in days. Never mind assisting; she felt like she could cook a whole meal by herself. "That…that would actually be very nice, Gloria," she replied. She put a steadying hand on the bedside table, then slowly brought her legs over to the side.

Gloria was almost instantly at her side. "Here, let me help you."

"Thank you," Erica replied. She transferred her hand to Gloria's shoulder, and the nurse helped her stand. Once on her feet, Erica found that she could stand and probably walk on her own. "Actually, I think I'll be able to make it on my own."

Gloria gave her an encouraging smile. "That's great! I'll walk next to you though, just in case."

The two made it to the kitchen without incident, and Erica sat at the kitchen table while Gloria began to get out the ingredients. Erica offered her own recipe for lasagna, which happened to be John and Lucy's favorite, and they chatted during dinner preparation. By the time John got home, dinner was in the oven and almost done.

"Wow, it smells great in here," John remarked as he came in and kissed Erica hello. "But I'm more amazed to see you up, honey."

"I woke up from a nap, and was feeling much better," Erica explained. "How was your day, sweetie?"

John shrugged. "The usual. Except that this woman named Tess is going to chaperone the field trips with me. Honestly I'd have preferred a parent. She seemed, well, a little more opinionated than I'd like."

There was a choking sound, and the two turned to see that Gloria had for some reason spit out the water she'd been drinking. She gave them a weak smile. "Sorry about that. Hi John!"

"Hello, Gloria. So, how did things go today?" He asked, his eyes still on the nurse.

"Great!" Gloria answered before Erica could. "We watched TV and played games and got to know each other. We had fun."

While the answer might have been pleasing, John frowned. "Not too much fun, I hope. Erica needs a lot of rest these days."

"No, it was fine," Erica insisted. Yes, Gloria had been a little overwhelming, but she was a nice young woman, and Erica wouldn't want her and John to get off on the wrong foot. "Gloria is wonderful company," she added.

The dinner proceeded in much the same way. When Lucy got home a half hour later, Gloria had dinner with the family. Erica felt sorry for Gloria, who was quizzed by her concerned family. Lucy and John asked her dozens of "what if" questions about anything Erica could possibly need, and even inquired about Gloria's nursing background. Erica spent the meal playing defense – with every question, Erica followed up with a compliment about Gloria's first day of work. But by the time the meal was over, she found herself exhausted and in need of another nap.

"I'll see you later, sweetheart," Erica said as she hugged her daughter. Lucy needed help with her history class, and since it was Erica's favorite subject in college, Erica had insisted that Lucy wake her up later to help. "Remember, come back and wake me up in an hour, okay?"

Lucy nodded. "Sure, Mom. Sweet dreams," she said. With tons of homework to do, she turned and headed towards her room.

Within five minutes Lucy had gone back to bed, and within six minutes she was fast asleep, the television still on…

_She was in a beautiful field of wildflowers. A night sky was overhead, and she couldn't see anything else but the field for miles…except for a large rock, perfect for sitting and looking at the billions of stars above. _

_Instantly she knew she was dreaming. It was one of those dreams, where she was conscious of the fact that her real, sick body was in a bed at home. But she didn't care. If there was one thing Erica learned from her disease, it was to enjoy the moment. _

"_It's wonderful," she whispered to herself._

_She didn't expect a response, and was therefore startled when there was one. "Yes it is, isn't it? God does create wonders."_

_Erica turned around to find that a young man in a beige suit was sitting on the rock. He had a warm smile on his face that reached his eyes, and she relaxed. She could trust this man, whoever it was that inhabited her dreams. "He certainly does. Who are you?"_

"_My name is Andrew," Andrew answered. He got up from the rock and offered her his hand for her to shake. "It's an honor to meet you, Erica."_

_After she shook his hand, Erica realized that he knew her name, and had mentioned God. For some reason, she reached a surprising conclusion. "Are you an angel?"_

"_Yes, I am," Andrew replied. "You're in God's country, a limbo between Earth and Heaven. It's a peaceful place where many angels go for personal reflection. This time, however, I have been instructed to use this place to talk to you through dreams."_

_Amazed, Erica paused to take in the information. God had sent _her_ one of His angels. But why? "I don't understand," she confessed. "I have faith in God and know that I am going to Heaven when I die. Why does he feel the need to send you?"_

_Andrew smiled. "Yes, God loves you, and your faith in Him. But he also knows that this is a deeply troubling time for you, and that you don't feel you have opportunity to share your thoughts and fears. That is why I was sent."_

"_So…you're here just to listen to me talk?" Erica asked in disbelief._

"_No, I'm here for you," Andrew explained. "To comfort you, to answer questions, to guide you."_

_Once Erica processed the answer, she found the was…relieved. Never one to keep a diary, she'd held many worries to herself over the years. She had no doubt that a good talk with Andrew would translate to a more relaxed waking life. "Wow, thank you," she said. "Tell God I said thank you as well."_

"_You just did," Andrew assured her._

_One more concern occurred to her. "How will I get here again?"_

"_When I am needed, you will be here," Andrew explained. He paused and glanced to the sky. "Until next time, then."_

_Confused, Erica watched as God's country began to fade to white._

Before she could panic, her eyes opened to find Lucy giving her a worried look. "Mom, are you okay? You looked like you were having a weird dream or something."

"I'm wonderful, sweetie. Do you have your history books?" Erica asked. When Lucy held up her textbook and notebook, they settled down and began to go over Lucy's homework assignment.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Monica couldn't believe it.

She couldn't have been gone for more than five minutes. She'd thought she was being watchful when Lucy and William got coffee on their break, and Amy ran to get more paper towels for a juice spill. But as she discovered, there were some incidents even an angel's presence had no power to stop.

Finger paint. Everywhere. The seven kids who showed up at the center for that day stood in the middle of the room…on the already colorful _rug_…splattered with blue, red and yellow paint. A quick glance around the room revealed what happened. The huge fan in the corner, there since the last hot days of summer, was just slowing down. The grate and blades were also covered in paint.

_Father, help me_, Monica thought. No wonder the teens gave her strange looks when she suggested finger painting as an afternoon activity. Monica may have had kids as assignments a few times, but she apparently had no clue how to run a daycare.

If she couldn't call on God for immediate assistance, there was only one other option.

"_Amy_!"

The teen ran into the room with a roll of paper towels on her hand. "Monica?" Amy's jaw dropped, and she slowly turned to her boss. "Oh my _God_, what _happened_?"

Monica took a few deep breaths before she addressed the kids, a guilty look on every single one of their faces. "It's alright," she said, more to comfort herself. "You all stay there…please, don't move…while I talk to Amy. Again, _don't move_."

Once out of earshot, Amy whispered, "You've never done this before, have you?"

"Not…exactly," Monica confessed. "I'm sorry! Who knew finger painting could make such a mess in so short a time?"

There was a thinly veiled glare in Amy's eyes, and Monica could tell that the teen was trying very hard not to answer with a sarcastic comment. Instead, Amy let out a deep sigh and asked, "So what do we do now?"

That was the question of the moment, wasn't it? Monica took a second to calm herself down, then said, "You know, it's going to be fine. That's washable paint, so it's just a matter of cleaning it all up. You stay here and start with those paper towels, and I'll go find Lucy and William. They should be on their way back by now."

"Hurry back," Amy pleaded.

Somewhat guilty about leaving the teen alone, Monica left and headed toward the small café nearby. It was closer than the main eating places on campus, so Monica had no doubt that the couple went there.

She spotted them on a bench on the edge of the road that led toward campus, just outside the awning over the outdoor eating area.

The area empty in the cold autumn air, a brief instinct made Monica stop short at an awning support close to the bench. Sure enough, a cup of coffee in each of their hands, Lucy had her head on William's shoulder and appeared to be distressed.

"I'm sorry about this, Will," Lucy said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Though obviously a little uncomfortable, William replied, "It's alright. You're upset, so I'm here for you."

"I'm not usually like this," Lucy said in a low, saddened voice. "But my mom…God, there are some days where I leave the house and don't know if she'll be there when I get back. She was so weak this morning that I almost stayed home. Gloria insisted they were fine, but still…"

"Gloria?" William asked.

"You remember, the new nurse living with us?" Lucy asked. When he nodded, she continued, "It's just…I can't take this anymore. I feel so, so guilty whenever I leave the house, but I know it worries Mom when I stay home too much. And Dad…I can tell he's so upset and worried not only about Mom but the future too. I have so many conflicting emotions and everything is out of my control."

There was a brief silence while William comfortingly rubbed her shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Lucy. Don't think too much – it'll drive you nuts. Take it one day at a time."

"I can't do that. I wish I could, but I can't," Lucy insisted, fresh tears in her eyes. "I can't stop thinking about when she won't be here, and how much I'll miss her in my life. I always wanted her to be at my wedding, to be a grandmother. And I know she wanted it too. It's not fair."

"I know it isn't," William agreed. There was another long silence. Uncomfortable, William checked his watch, then kissed the top of her head. "Honey? We've been gone for ten minutes. Monica is probably wondering where we are."

Surprised, Lucy sat up and wiped her eyes. "Oh, yeah, I guess we should. Uh…you go ahead. I need a minute."

In a half-hearted gesture, William offered, "Do you want me to stay?" When Lucy shook her head, he kissed her hair again and turned to leave. "We'll hang out later, okay? I'll come over, we'll watch some mindless movies and make some popcorn. You'll feel better, I promise."

Content that she would be okay, he began walking in Monica's direction, so therefore spotted her. "Monica? I'm sorry, are we that late?"

"Oh, no," Monica assured him. She was saddened herself, for Lucy and the situation the young woman was in. While she knew she had to get back and help clean up the mess, Lucy choosing to stay behind gave her the hint that her assignment was calling. "There was an emergency at the center. Finger paint is _everywhere_."

William chuckled. "I knew that was a bad idea." He lowered his voice and said, "Look, Lucy is upset right now. Her mom is really sick, and she's been going through a lot. Do you think just Amy, you and I could handle it?"

"I think so. You go ahead, I'll be right there," Monica said. When William got the hint that she was going to talk to Lucy, William nodded and headed off toward the daycare.

Thoughts of the paint-splattered daycare temporarily out of her head, Monica made her way to the bench. "Lucy?"

"Oh, God, Monica," Lucy exclaimed, startled. "I'm _so_ sorry, I must be so late…it's all my fault, I-I've just been having a bad day, and…"

Monica quickly sat next to her on the bench and put an arm around the girl's shoulders. "Lucy, what's wrong?"

It was a long moment before Lucy answered the question. "My mom…she's dying. Ovarian cancer," she said in a whisper. "I…I just get overwhelmed sometimes. I'll be okay. I'll go back when my eyes are dry. I can't be like this in front of the kids."

"And you won't. Lucy, please, go home," Monica gently insisted. Before Lucy could argue, she continued, "William, Amy and I can handle it." There was no sense in telling her about the current state of the daycare center. "You're only a volunteer, and have the right to go whenever you want. I want you to keep that in mind."

A grateful smile on her face, Lucy wiped away some tears. "Thank you, Monica. I am going to head home. Hopefully my dad will understand," she said as she stood up with her coffee in hand. "I, uh, left my stuff in the center. You know what, I have my keys in my pocket, and I'll be seeing William later. Can you please tell him to get it for me?"

"Of course," Monica answered and also stood up. "And remember, Lucy. I may be your manager, but I'd like to be your friend too. If anything's bothering you, you can always talk to me."

Lucy nodded and began to walk to the parking lot nearby. "Thanks, Monica. Bye."

"Bye, Lucy. I'll see you tomorrow," Monica replied. She watched until Lucy found her car and pulled out of the parking space, then turned to walk back to the daycare. There was no doubt that Amy and William desperately needed back up by then.

* * *

"Hall pass!"

The freshman boy, about to dart out the back door, froze in his tracks. Tess' shout was definitely a command, not a question.

Her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed, Tess slowly approached the nervous boy. He just stared at her, his hand moving up and down his backpack strap in anxiety. "Well?" Tess added when he didn't respond.

"I-I…I…" the boy stuttered. "I…dropped it! It's in the other staircase, let me go get it." He began to run in the other direction.

But Tess grabbed the handle of his backpack and pulled him back. "Right, and I've got the Holy Grail in my car. What class are you supposed to be in?"

The boy seemed to contemplate replying with another lie, but made the mistake of looking into Tess' intimidating eyes. "English."

"Then I suggest you get there right now. You know what, I'll go with you," Tess replied, and the two began to walk down the hallway. "I wouldn't want you to get _lost_ again. If 'getting lost' is a habit of yours, I suggest you break it. You don't want me to catch you a second time, trust me."

"No, ma'am," the boy answered with a shake of his head.

"As long as we're on the same page," Tess said, and a warm smile appeared on her face. "So what's your name, baby? I'm Tess, the new assistant vice principal."

Once Timothy Phillips was back in his English class, if he'd ever been there in the first place, Tess turned around just in time to notice John go into the teacher's lounge. Perfect. She'd been trying to think of a reason to talk to John all day. The Father warned her that this assignment would be getting more complex very soon, so she wanted to get to know John as much as she could. Last time she was around the Baker family, she was Erica's nurse, and therefore barely talked to John.

Two minutes later, Tess was in the teacher's lounge, a tea bag in hand. The room was empty, except for John, who was at the coffee machine. A machine next to it dispensed hot water, so she made her way over and grabbed a nearby mug. "Hello, John. Is your class excited for the first planetarium trip tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah, they can't wait," John retorted, the answer coated in sarcasm. Coffee already in his mug, he took a sugar packet and went to a table without another word to Tess.

Normally she would have been irritated at the rude behavior, but instead Tess was concerned. While not normally a lively individual, John seemed even more grumpy, maybe overtired as there were circles under his eyes. The poor man probably wanted to be alone. But God had given her time to work on her assignment for a reason, and she wasn't about to pass it up.

Tess sat down at the round table across from John when her tea was ready. Though she knew the class' lack of enthusiasm probably wasn't bothering him that much, she said, "They probably aren't excited about it _now_ because to them, it's just more work. When they get there and see that beautiful display, they'll love it."

When she sat down, John had his head in his hands. Five seconds after she stopped talking, he finally looked up at her. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing important," Tess answered, happy to have his attention. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to hear my ideas today, but you look like you can barely hear anything but the thoughts in your head. What's the matter, baby?"

John stared down in his coffee mug. "Nothing. I just want some time alone, okay?"

"You know, it always feels better to tell someone else about your problems," Tess insisted, not at all put off by his request.

"Maybe, but I don't feel like it right now," John retorted. When she only stared at him, he glared at her, got up with his mug, and went to another table.

_Oh, it's going to take more than that to get rid of me_, Tess thought with determination. She mimicked his movements, and once again they were facing each other at the same table, their mugs between them. "Tell me what's wrong," Tess ordered.

"Why do you _care_?" John snapped, aggravated.

"Because we're going to be spending the next couple of weeks together, and we're going to have to get to know each other," Tess replied. "Now tell me."

John let out a deep sigh. Finally, he crossed his arms on the table in front of his mug and looked at her. "Fine. Erica, my wife if you remember, is having a bad day with her cancer, one of the worst she's had in a while. And I can tell that my daughter isn't handling it well, but I don't know what do to about it and I'm afraid it's going to ruin our relationship. So when Erica does…when she's not there, it's going to be Lucy and I all alone in our house with no idea what to say to each other."

At the last word, John had fallen back in his chair, his look challenging Tess to reply with anything meaningful. But of course, Tess was more than ready to meet the challenge. "Have you tried talking with her?" Tess replied simply.

"We don't really talk," John answered. His tone was matter-of-fact, as if to say "that's the way things are, and that's how they always will be."

"Well, don't you think with all that's going on, it's time to change that?" Tess suggested. "Maybe if you two start working on your relationship now, you won't be so lost in the future. I'm sure she worries about that too."

"We never know what to say to each other," John argued.

"You don't know how to ask her how she's doing?" Tess retorted. From his unemotional replies, she could tell he'd already given up a long time ago. She had to change his attitude, and fast. "Ask her about her life, how she's holding up. You'll probably get more of an answer than you expect."

"You think so, huh?" John replied.

Tess nodded. "Yes I do."

There was a second of contemplative silence, then John glanced up at the clock on the wall and stood up with his mug in his hand. "Well, I've got to get ready for my next class. I'll see you tomorrow, Tess."

"Yes, baby. I'm looking forward to it," Tess said, then finally took a sip of her tea as she watched him leave the room.

* * *

After dinner that night, Lucy kept herself distracted by helping Gloria with dinner clean up. Her father hadn't been happy with her leaving the daycare early, though much to Lucy's surprise he hadn't started an argument. Still, she could see the disappointment in his face, and so the dinner had been practically silent. Usually when she and her father had these little arguments, they would give each other the silent treatment the rest of the day, then would go back to normal the next morning without discussing anything.

This was why she didn't mind dish duty…until she saw how many there were to clean. While the meatloaf had been good enough, Gloria's culinary limitations were revealed in the dirty pots and pans that covered the counters, and the grease around the stove. "What happened in here?"

"I, uh, don't cook much," Gloria admitted with a sheepish grin. "Your mother helped me last night, but she was napping today and…well, let's just say it's a miracle that the meatloaf was edible at all."

For the first time in a while, Lucy laughed. It was nice having someone else around the house to talk to. "It was better than edible," Lucy assured her.

"Thanks. Maybe I'll practice my cooking skills while I'm here. You know, I'm finding that reading recipes in books doesn't mean you can cook them perfectly when you give them a try," Gloria said, as if the concept was a genuine discovery, while it would be usually be a statement of the obvious.

"Yeah, imagine that," Lucy said with another laugh. They began to clean up the kitchen, and within a half hour they were finished. While they cleaned, Gloria asked her about her day, and they had a friendly, upbeat conversation when she asked about the daycare center. Lucy was feeling better, and gladly told Gloria about the people she worked with. "…that's William and Amy. We just got a new manager, Monica. She has a cool accent, and while it's pretty common, I'm just not getting where…"

"Irish," Gloria blurted out, then put a hand over her mouth in embarrassment.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "You know my new manager?"

"I-I…I…" Gloria stuttered. "I know that, uh, Irish is…one of those accents people have a hard time placing." She quickly went to the fridge and took out a pudding cup. "So, you up for dessert yet?"

Though still confused, Lucy simply shook her head. "No thanks. I have some homework to do. I'll talk to you later."

Minutes later she was in her room at her desk, her history book open. Her mother was sleeping again, so she had to tackle this herself before class the next day. It wasn't that it was so hard, she supposed. Her mother just had a way of making it more interesting. Lucy liked science, and learning about the stars and the universe…not bland historic dates and timelines.

Before she could get the first ten questions, there was a knock at her door. "Lucy?" her father's voice called.

This was surprising. What happened to the usual post-fight silent treatment? "Dad?" she replied as she got up from her chair and opened the door. Not wanting to sound rude, but not sure how else to pose the question, she asked, "What are you, uh, doing here?"

John sighed, and tentatively walked into her room. "I want to, uh, apologize."

"Seriously?" Lucy replied before she could stop herself. Her father had rarely, if ever, apologized to her after a fight.

"Seriously," John replied with a small laugh. "I didn't have a right to get mad at you for leaving work early today, especially when you explained that your manager suggested it. I'm going through a tough time you know, with your mother and all, and I just forget that you're going through a tough time too."

_Wow_, Lucy thought, shocked. "Oh, um…thanks, Dad, that really means a lot to me."

They were interrupted when the doorbell rang. There was a rustle downstairs as Gloria answered it, then shouted up the stairs, "Lucy! William's here!"

"I, uh, have to go," Lucy told her dad, then ran down the stairs. Even a good moment was somewhat awkward between them. She never knew what the right thing was to say around him, for fear that something would upset him. He was moody, had a temper, and didn't like it when people didn't agree with him. When he did something nice, she never knew if something she said in return would set him off. The thought put her in her somber mood when she reached the door.

She found the foyer empty, and figured that Gloria left to give them some privacy. Once she door was open, she attempted a small smile. "Hi."

"Hi," William replied, then held up her messenger bag. "Monica told me you needed this. I would've brought it anyway, you know."

Lucy's smile widened and she kissed him in thanks as she took her bag from him. "I know. Thank you."

"So, that's it I guess…" William began, then glanced at the side of the house, which led to the spacious and romantic backyard. "…unless, you want to go for a walk."

"Sounds great," Lucy agreed, thoughts of homework out of her mind. She threw her bag in the foyer, closed the door, and they set off for the walk holding hands.

After a moment or so of companionable silence, William asked, "So…how are you, are you okay? You were pretty upset."

Lucy sighed. Whatever temporary good mood left over from her talk with Gloria had vanished when she thought of her break down that afternoon. "I just…you can't imagine what it's like when you know that someone you love is going to die. All day long, all you can think about is _when_. When you get home, are you going to be too late to say good-bye? Is asking her to help you with your history homework going to be the last thing you say to her? It's so hard and it just consumes you."

"Oh, Lucy," William soothed as he gave her a comforting hug, her head on his shoulder. "You can't let the future get to you like that. Enjoy what time you have with her."

Tears began to form, and she wiped them on his shirt. "I try, but my dad makes it so hard. I look at our relationship, and all I think is…how are we going to get along when she's gone? What's going to happen to us? He's not going to be able to handle Mom's death, and I'm not strong enough to get through it for the both of us. Living in that house alone with him is going to be hell."

There was silence again, then with hesitation in his voice, William suggested, "Luce, if things are ever too tough at home, you…you could move in with me. I love you, and I wouldn't be able to see you suffer like that."

"I love you too," Lucy replied through fresh tears. "And maybe I will. You love me so much, I…I just wish I could know that you were always going to be there for me. I'm really going to need someone to run to when things get tough."

"What makes you think I won't be there?" William asked with curiosity. "You know I've always taken this relationship seriously."

"I know. But it's not like we're married, or even…or even engaged…" Lucy trailed off and looked up at him. "Why shouldn't we?"

William paused, her still in her arms. "Why shouldn't we…what?"

"Get married," Lucy suggested, her voice a whisper. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She'd already concluded that she would be with William for a long time anyway, so this wasn't a totally new concept for her. She'd be lying if she said that hadn't already imagined him as her future husband. As it turned out, the future just happened to be that moment.

He'd held her at arms length, shock on his face, his expression unreadable. "Y-you…you want to get married?"

Lucy nodded. "Why not? You love me, right?"

"W-well, yes, I…" William trailed off. He stared at her for a long moment, then sighed. "I do. I love you. So let's do it."

Elated, Lucy gave him a long, passionate kiss, then said, "Let's get married."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

There was something off about Lucy.

Not in a bad way, just…off. Erica could tell as she watched her daughter pour cereal for breakfast. There was a different, joyful light in Lucy's eyes, and her daughter was actually _humming_ as she got the milk out of the fridge. Lucy wasn't generally downhearted of course, but she wasn't an excitable, expressive young woman on any level. Erica knew her daughter to be the type who, when something good happened, would overanalyze it until it wasn't good anymore, just merely alright.

"You're cheery this morning," Erica said as she kissed Lucy's cheek in greeting. Gloria was right next to her to offer support, but this was one of Erica's better mornings and the support wasn't needed. "Did something good happen with you and William last night?"

Lucy paused with the container of milk in her hand. "Yeah…I think so, at least. He's coming over in a few minutes."

"That sounds like something good to me. Here, let me help you," Gloria said, then once Erica was seated on a kitchen chair, went to help Lucy with breakfast.

When all three had a bowl of cereal, Lucy sat down in the seat that completed the triangle, with her mother at the head of the table and Gloria across. "Look, um," Lucy began as a shaky hand put a strand of hair behind her ear. "William's coming over because…we have to say something. It's kind of big, so I just wanted to prepare you, Mom. I know you're not up for taking shocking news these days."

"Are you pregnant?" Erica asked. It wasn't a snapping accusation, but a motherly concern for her daughter's well-being.

Thankfully, Lucy shook her head. "No, definitely not pregnant." With a sidelong glance at Gloria, her face turned red as she muttered, "I've had my period. We're careful anyway, I promise."

"Then what is it?" Erica inquired, quick to change the subject. Even though her daughter never told her directly, Erica had figured as much. That was usually how it went with college students in a relationship.

Lucy shook her head again. "No, I want William and I to tell you, and I want Dad to be here. He…probably isn't going to like it, but I'm almost a legal adult and can make my own decisions."

_Is she engaged?_ Erica wondered. She traded looks with Gloria, and she could tell that the nurse was thinking the same thing. But she'd let Lucy announce the news how she wanted. "Well, is William coming soon?"

"'Morning, everyone," John greeted as he walked in the room, his briefcase in hand. He kissed his wife and Lucy, and started to prepare a bowl of cereal for himself. "I'm sorry I can't really stick around, I have to get there early – our big field trip is today and I want to make sure everything…"

"William's here," Lucy said when she saw her boyfriend's car pull up to the front of the house. She jumped out of her seat and ran to the front door to meet him.

"…goes smoothly," John finished, then raised an eyebrow at his daughter's exit. "What's going on?"

Erica sighed. To be honest, she wished Lucy had warned her father instead. She had a feeling that John would take whatever news this was much worse than she would. Lucy gave the distinct impression that while she thought the news was great, not everyone would see it that way. Never one to hide his emotions, Erica feared that John would be the only 'everyone' her daughter had to worry about.

Hesitant smiles on their faces, Lucy came into the kitchen with William behind her. The poor boy seemed scared out of his mind, but still put his arm around his girlfriend as a sign of loyalty.

"Mom, Dad…we're getting married!" Lucy announced. Her tone was calm, happy, and somewhat nervous at the same time. "I know I'm young, we both are, but I've realized how much I love William because of how much he's really stuck by me these past few months. I mean, it hasn't been easy, but he was always there for me, and I really want to spend the rest of my life with him."

His arm tight around Lucy's shoulders, William nodded. "Mr. and Mrs. Baker, I promise that I love your daughter very much, and ask that you please give us your blessing."

There was silence. All eyes were on John.

Finally, John grabbed his briefcase and headed to the foyer. He paused in front of Lucy his finger pointed at her. "You are not getting married," he said in a threatening whisper.

Then he stormed out and slammed the front door behind him.

Lucy was about to cry, her eyes filled with tears and her arms around William.

"Sh, it's okay," William replied as he wrapped her in a full hug. "We'll figure this out."

Still next to Erica, Gloria seemed conflicted about how to react. "Oh…uh…" she said, half in her seat and half out, clearly torn between comforting the young couple and making herself scarce. She eventually got up and slowly began walking back to the door. "I'm gonna go…give you some privacy…"

Then she dashed into the hallway.

When Gloria was gone, Erica stood up as well. "Oh, Lucy," she said, then got up and went over to her then-sobbing daughter, who gladly went into her mother's arms. "You know your dad, he doesn't like change, or surprising news he didn't know anything about. He'll cool down, then I'll talk to him and he'll come around. Isn't that how it always works?"

Lucy wiped away some tears and gave her mother a grateful smile. "So…you're happy for me?"

"Well…" Erica said, then paused. She did wish that Lucy had waited to get married, experienced life, dated more before she settled down. But she didn't want to disappoint Lucy by being against this, and Erica had to admit that getting married at twenty wasn't the worst decision to make if the two were truly in love.

At Lucy's expectant look, Erica finally nodded. "Yes, I am. I love you, and all I want is for you to be happy."

* * *

_How could she?_

That was all John thought from the time he left his house, to when he pulled into the high school parking lot. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. How _could_ she make this huge decision without asking his permission? She never even talked to him about it! How _could_ she?

He wanted to break something. He'd actually wanted to smack her back at the house, but had settled for finger pointing. Not that he would have at all, but Gloria's presence definitely helped him restrain himself. He just wasn't the type to lose his cool in front of a stranger.

The car finally parked, he yanked the keys out of the ignition, then slammed the top of the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. His hand stung from the force, but he felt a little better. At least emotionally stable enough to be around other people.

It wouldn't be easy to keep his cool all day. The constant thought of his daughter making the worst mistake of her life got him so furious that he wasn't sure if he could contain himself. But, this was the first day of the planetarium labs, so he couldn't even take off that day if he wanted. No way he would let Tess take over the lab when she had no idea what his very specific plans were.

John grabbed his briefcase, let out a deep breath, then opened his car door and stepped onto the parking lot. This morning, he wasn't heading for the school building, but the parking lot on the far right side of the school, which was primarily for buses. He needed to find the one they were using so that he would be there when the first student arrived.

About five minutes later he'd made his way past the front of the school, around the corner, and up to the school Transportation Director, Peter. "Pete!" he called.

The stocky, balding man had just come out of the school's side entrance. "Hey, John! Got your bus all ready for you. You're number seven, over there," he said as he pointed to the appropriate bus to John's right.

John nodded. "Thanks. Is our bus driver getting here soon? I don't –"

"Good morning, John!" a voice called from maybe ten feet away.

The interruption ignited his fragile temper. "Do you not _see_ me in the middle of a conversation?" John retorted, presumably to whichever unlucky student had been the first to arrive.

Then he realized too late that a student wouldn't be calling him "John." Sure enough, Tess stood in front of him with an angry look on her face, her eyebrow raised in an incredulous manner. "_Excuse_ me?"

John frowned, but he was too worked up to be very apologetic. "I'm sorry, Tess."

Next to him, Pete shook his head in sympathy. "Todd's going to be your bus driver today, he'll be here soon." He paused with a sideways glance at Tess, then muttered "Good luck, man" to John on his way back into school.

When they were left alone, John suddenly wished Pete had stayed to act as a witness. Tess seemed pretty steamed at his disrespectful behavior. "Whatever is eating you this morning," she began, her tone angry but even. "Better be done with you real quick, because you're in for a big surprise if you think I'm going take any more of your temper today. Am I understood?"

"Y-yes, ma'am," John stuttered, disturbed by her eerie warning. At least he had motivation to keep his bad mood in check.

Thankfully, students began to arrive. Most noticed his sour disposition and ignored him as they boarded the bus. However, some greeted Tess, who'd apparently made a few friends in her short time on the job.

Within an hour all students and the bus driver arrived, John and Tess had boarded the bus, and they were on their way. The students were excited for the field trip and attempted a few childish songs like _99 Bottles of Beer_ or _The Song That Never Ends_, but a glare from John quieted them. They contented themselves with low whispers and what they thought were discreet glances in his direction, all clearly wondering, "What's got _him_ ticked off?" While Tess agreed that maybe singing songs was a little much, she did spend the ride talking to a group of the students.

The bus arrived at the planetarium, and John led the group to the main viewing room. A holographic grid was already displayed on the night sky dome above them. "Alright, you all see the grid with the numbers in each box? Find your numbers, they'll be right next to each other. Spend the next hour trying to identify as much as you can, and I'll start with the lecture after that. Go."

"Mr. Baker, do you…"

"I said _go_," John snapped. The frightened students scattered in response, all silent as they walked around to find their numbers.

A frown on her face in disproval, Tess only watched while John went to stand at the lecture podium. When he was there, however, she headed straight for him and stood on the podium's other side. His tone as calm as he could possibly make it, he asked, "How can I help you?"

"You can start by bringing your attitude down to a level appropriate for a high school teacher," she replied, the anger back in her voice. "I know you're going through a lot at home, but that's no reason to take it out on these innocent students."

John restrained a glare as he tried to figure out how to handle this. No doubt she would continue to bug him the entire rest of the day whenever he made one little angry remark. Maybe if he told her why he was so angry, she would back off. "I'm…sorry…Tess," he managed to reply without any sarcasm. "But I just found out this morning that my twenty-year-old daughter plans to marry a boy she's hasn't known for a full year. I'm just a little upset right now."

"Well, I'm sorry that's upsetting you, but you're going to have to be professional about this and keep your problems to yourself," Tess replied. "Why are you even here if you're this distressed? Teachers have personal days."

Of course, John couldn't tell her it was because he didn't want her alone with _his_ students. But he could twist it in a way that wouldn't sound so offensive. "I didn't want to leave you by yourself with the entire class. Chaperoning a field trip is a lot to handle for one person."

Tess shook her head. "Don't you worry about me, baby. If you give me the notes for the day, I can certainly handle a group of students."

"Thanks, Tess, but…I'll be okay," John quickly assured her.

"You better be," Tess warned, her eyes narrowed. "Don't forget that I'm the assistant vice principal. If you don't straighten yourself out, _I_ can send you home."

Before he could respond, she'd walked off, headed towards a small group of students who looked like they needed help.

_That was unsettling_, he thought as he watched her demeanor instantly change into that of a caring teacher when she reached the students. He sighed, then took some notes out of his briefcase. "You can do this," he muttered to himself.

All he had to do was not think about his daughter for the entire day.

* * *

"We're getting married!" Lucy announced for the second time that day, her arms again around her fiancé.

However, this audience was much more receptive. Lucy had the early shift at the daycare that morning, so only three kids were there, and were busy playing a board game with each other. Since there was some down time, Lucy and William had taken the opportunity to share their news with Amy and Monica.

"Oh my God!" Amy squealed, and hugged them both. "Congratulations! You two are so great together!"

Though hesitant, Monica smiled. "Yes, congratulations. When was the proposal?"

Amy nodded with excitement. "Yeah, you have to spill all the details!"

"Well, it wasn't so much a proposal as a mutual decision," William explained as he beamed at his fiancé. "We were taking a walk last night and it just…happened. I'm very happy it did though."

Lucy kissed him in agreement. "Me too. And I'm happy you're happy."

"Aw, aren't you two sickeningly cute," Amy remarked. A crash sounded from where the children were playing, and all four adults turned to see that the kids had started fighting over the game. Amy sighed. "Come on, lover boy. We've got work to do."

"Right behind you," William said, then kissed Lucy good-bye before he followed Amy to the other corner of the room.

Once alone, Monica turned to Lucy and remarked, "That sounded like a very spontaneous proposal. Did you and William have a serious discussion about this?"

"Oh, well…" Lucy said as she and Monica took seats on some folding chairs nearby. Honestly, Lucy had been too thrilled about the engagement to sit down and think about how it would change her life. She was just so happy to know that William would be by her side forever that she didn't want to think about it so much that it turned into something serious. Of course, her father's unfortunate reaction helped calm her, but she was consciously putting the morning's confrontation out of her mind. "We didn't really talk about it that much," Lucy finally confessed. "But we both love each other so much that we don't need to."

"You're sure you love him then?" Monica pressed. She was giving Lucy a concerned, contemplative look that didn't exactly say that she was happy about the situation.

"I'm sure, Monica," Lucy insisted. She had her head tilted in confusion while she wondered why Monica was being like this. After all, Monica had only known her and William for a few days. Who was she to say if they should or shouldn't be getting married? Lucy had to ask this, but she tried to be tactful. "Why are you so worried? You barely know me."

"I'm sorry, Lucy. It's just that you're so young, and Amy told me that you and William haven't known each other very long," Monica explained.

While Lucy had to acknowledge Monica's concerns, she thought it was a little out of place for her boss. But since she couldn't say anything about it, Lucy did her best to counteract Monica's fears. "It's fine, I promise. William and I have been very in love each other for a long time. At least this way, we can get married while my mom is still alive. I've always wanted her at my wedding."

The sudden thought came out of nowhere, but Lucy admitted to herself that it was true, she was looking forward to having her mother at her wedding…

"_She's not gonna be there for graduation, or my wedding, or when I have a baby…"_

Lucy's eyes widened and she sat up straight. When did she say that before?

"_She was always supposed to be there for that stuff."_

_Her mind went back, through college, senior year, even junior year of high school. She was fifteen, and sitting cross-legged on a bench in the hallway. There was someone with her…who was it? The memory was still too foggy…_

"_I love my dad, but we're just too different, it's mom who…how am I supposed to live without my mom?"_

_There was a flash, and then it was earlier in the conversation. She was sitting regularly on the bench this time, and she was sobbing._

"_Do you know what the survival rate is for women who get ovarian cancer twice?" _

_The person Lucy was talking to shook her head. _

"_It's practically zero," Lucy cried. "The second time around, they don't even talk about getting better, they just talk about how long until they die."_

"_My mother _is_ dying, Monica!" _

No. It couldn't be.

Her memory fully recovered, Lucy whirled around to face Monica, who had been waiting patiently for Lucy to snap out of it. "It was you!" Lucy exclaimed. "_You_ were my substitute teacher five years ago! Why didn't you say anything?"

Surprised, Monica explained, "You didn't seem to recognize me when we first met, and it didn't seem appropriate to try and jog your memory. I suppose I was going to ask eventually, but it never felt like the right time."

"But, wait…you were a teacher five years ago, and now you're the manager for a daycare center?" Lucy asked.

"Let's just say that I don't stay in one spot too long," Monica replied with a shrug. When Lucy calmed down a little, she said, "Part of why I was so concerned when you announced your engagement was because I _did_ already know you. We were friends when I was at your school, and I think some of that came back when we had our talk the other day."

Lucy thought about the new situation as she leaned back on the folding chair. "Well, I guess it's good that I didn't remember you," she confessed. "I don't mean anything by that, of course. I just know I would have acted differently toward you. It would've been awkward knowing that I once said a lot of personal stuff to my new manager."

"I guess so," Monica agreed. "But, since I _am_ your new manager, I know I'm not in the position to judge whether you should get married. So, that in mind, I want to offer you my full support and say a sincere congratulations."

Relieved, Lucy had to admit it was nice to have someone else on her and William's side. Her father was the only one to oppose it so far, but he opposed it so strongly that she needed all the support she could get. That in mind, she got an idea. "Hey, Monica? I know this might be weird, but…would you like to have dinner at my house tonight? Depending on if my dad cools down enough, my mom thought it would be nice for William to come over for dinner. I was thinking maybe you could give us some much-needed back up."

"I'd love to, thank you for the invitation," Monica replied, then looked out the front window to see that some cars had pulled up. More kids were arriving.

In response, they both stood. "Great! You already have my address included in your contact information, right?" When Monica nodded, Lucy continued, "Dinner's at five. Thanks, I really appreciate this."

Then kids along with their parents began walking in the doorway, and the conversation was forgotten as they went back to work.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Later that day, William paced in front of the daycare center. Their shift ended hours ago, and he and Lucy had both attended classes since. But his car was parked in the lot close to the center, so they agreed for her to meet him there since they'd carpooled this morning, and then head to her house for dinner.

For one of the few times in his life, he was terrified. As he ran a shaking hand through his abundant, shaggy black hair, he gazed out at the campus landscape…though none of it registered. He just needed something to stare at while he wondered how he would get through this dinner with all of his toned but somewhat gangly limbs intact. True, he didn't presume his girlfriend's father to be a violent man, but through Lucy, William had heard plenty about Mr. Baker's infamous temper.

It wouldn't be so bad if he was absolutely sure he wanted to marry Lucy. He loved her with all his heart, but…marriage? He was twenty-years-old! He was supposed to be living life to the fullest – trips abroad after he graduated, a good amount of girlfriends, and _then _married and professional life as a teacher in his mid-twenties

Normally he wasn't one for schedules, but this was one he'd hoped to stick with. Now he was at least five years ahead, and he wasn't convinced that this was a good thing.

This all made up a _very_ delicate situation. Did he love Lucy? Yes. Had he imagined maybe, someday, getting married? Once or twice. Was he ready to marry her this soon?

Not really.

But of course he couldn't say that. He'd break her heart, for one thing. She really needed someone to be by her side at this point, and he knew she wouldn't be able to take it if he expressed any doubts about the engagement. Her stress over her mother had her emotions all crazy, and he feared that if he tried to get them to slow down, Lucy would break up with him. And while he wasn't quite ready to marry her, he didn't want to lose her either.

Well, he'd have to be a man and _get_ ready. They were engaged, so that was that. He'd have to suck it up and learn to love the idea.

Yes, William Fredricks was going to have to be the best fiancé he could be.

Come to think of it, he should probably get Lucy a ring. He had another part-time job, some savings and a little family money, so he could probably get her something decent. Maybe Amy or Monica could help him pick it out. He wouldn't even know what size to get her, never mind what she would like. Then maybe he could prove that he was excited about the wedding by actually proposing to her. Lucy would like that.

Though thoughts about the marriage had distracted him, he still couldn't get his mind away from his immediate problem – the dinner that night. He couldn't remember when he'd been more scared. Lucy's father had been so…_enraged_ when he heard the news, that William thought it impossible that he would be calm enough by that night to have dinner with everyone, especially William. But Lucy and Mrs. Baker had insisted, with the claim that Mr. Baker would cool down faster if he didn't have a few days to simmer in his anger.

And it wouldn't be just the four of them, thank goodness. Lucy assured him that her mother's nurse, Gloria, would help them out. And before they went to class, she told him that Monica would be coming as well. They'd have back up.

He checked his watch, and noticed that it was about ten minutes past the time Lucy was supposed to be there. Since he would go crazy if left alone with more of his anxious thoughts, he took out his cell phone and pressed her speed dial number. "Hey, Luce?" William greeted.

"_Hey! I'm so sorry I'm late, Bible studies class ran long, as usual I'm actually here."_

"You are?" William said into the phone, then put a hand over his blue eyes to search among the small grouping of trees that separated the daycare from the center of campus. Sure enough, she was making her away through the trees from the right. "Oh, I see you," he said into the phone, then hung up the cell phone.

Lucy broke into a run and fell into his arms when she reached him. "Hey!" she said, then kissed him.

After he kissed her back, he put an arm around her, and they began to walk towards the parking lot. "So, how was class?"

"Oh, same old. Did you ask Monica if she wanted a ride?" Lucy asked. "It'll be a little before dinner time by the time we got there. I wish Amy was coming too, but she said she had a late class today."

"Yeah, I'm sure we could use all the help we could get. But I asked Monica, and she said she'd get to your house on her own," William explained. He guessed it made sense, since he knew Monica had her own ride – a sweet red Cadillac, he noted with respect – in the parking lot. He'd give _anything_ to take that for a spin…maybe if Monica stuck around for a while, she'd let him at least drive it around the campus.

As if on cue, they arrived at the parking lot, where Monica's car was parked next to his. And he sighed with suppressed longing.

Lucy laughed and dragged him over to his car. "In your _dreams_. She'll never let you drive that in a million years."

"But it's so _awesome_," William said in an exaggerated whine. She laughed again, and they got into his sedan, which was looked pretty scratched up and boring by comparison.

* * *

After she and Amy closed up the daycare, Monica drove over to the Baker's house. While she had this family for an assignment twice, this was actually her first time invited inside. Before, she had been Lucy's teacher. She had also been John's coworker, he hadn't liked her at all.

That thought in mind, she turned the car off and walked up to the door. While she knew Lucy liked her, and Erica hadn't met her yet, she was worried about how John would greet her. True, he knew she was an angel, and she'd helped him, but there was still that earlier tension. And it wouldn't help that John would probably wonder why she was in his life again.

Monica raised her hand to ring the doorbell, but before she could, it opened on its own. In its place, Gloria's happy smile greeted her. "Hello, Gloria," she said, a smile on her own face. She hadn't gotten to see her caseworker much this assignment.

"It's so good to see you, Monica!" Gloria exclaimed, and gave her supervisor a big hug.

Though Monica returned the hug, she looked over the other angel's shoulder. "No one else is close by, I hope? We're not supposed to know each other."

"Oh, don't worry," Gloria assured her as they broke apart and headed into the house. "Erica, Lucy and William are talking in Erica's room, and John…I think he just doesn't want to have to be around people unless he absolutely has to."

Monica frowned. "That bad?" she asked. They moved into the kitchen, and Monica took a seat at the table. Dinner was done – a roasted chicken was on the stove, and mashed potatoes and corn were in separate bowls on the counter.

Because of this, Gloria was able to sit down and gave Monica her full attention. "Yeah, he came back from the field trip a little late, muttering something about people 'telling him how to act around his own class,' and just headed straight upstairs. I guess Tess warned him not to lose his temper, huh?"

"I don't doubt it," Monica agreed. She knew Tess. If John had shown any signs of a bad temper brought on by the morning's upsetting events, Tess would've set him straight at the first one. While Tess can be very sympathetic, she also didn't tolerate it when people acted rude or offensive. On that note, Monica had to wonder just how _many_ times Tess had needed to set John straight during the day.

Gloria raised an eyebrow. "Are you wondering how much of John's bad mood is from Lucy's engagement, and how much is from Tess?"

Though reluctant to admit it, Monica nodded. "A little."

"Me too," Gloria confessed.

In need of a change of subject, Monica glanced at the stove's clock. It was about a quarter past five. "Well, Gloria, why don't you go see if everyone's ready for dinner? It'll get cold if it's on the counter for too long."

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me," Gloria said as she got up to leave. Before she left the kitchen, she called over her shoulder, "Can you put everything on the table, please?"

"Sure," Monica replied. She got up and went over to the stove. All three dishes were hot, so she began looking for pot holders.

"Oh my God."

Startled, Monica whirled around from the cabinet she'd been searching.

John stood near the kitchen door, his mouth open in pure shock. His whole body was still, his eyes wide. "You…you're…"

"Hello, John," Monica replied once she'd regained her cool. Apparently unlike his daughter, John had a clear memory of her last visit.

"How…why…" he stuttered. "You know, when Lucy said her manager's name was Monica, I thought of you. But I didn't think there would any chance that it _would_ be you. Why…why are you here? As my daughter's boss?"

Though he didn't say anything that would indicate he was angry at her, Monica suspected there was still some there. There had been some confrontations between them before he discovered her identity. "God sent me here again," she explained. She almost said that God sent _angels_ here again, but then remembered that he wasn't her assignment. He would find out about Tess in his own time. "My assignment is to help Lucy and William. Given their recent engagement, I now see why."

"Well, I don't!" John spat. There was the anger, as he strode further into the kitchen towards her. "You go back to Heaven and tell God that Lucy, Erica and I are doing _just_ fine. We're going through a rough time…we don't need this."

Monica let out a deep breath and replied calmly, "While you might feel that way, God knows your daughter and her fiancé do need an angel. I'm sorry, but until God says otherwise, I'm staying right here."

There was quiet for a second while John took in the situation. "Then…then at least promise that you won't tell Lucy who you really are," John said. "She's already so upset about her mother. She won't be able to handle knowing what you are."

"Again, I'm sorry, but that is up to God to decide," Monica told him. At her response, he let out a frustrated groan. She could tell that he was trying to get any kind of control he could, rather than let God and His angels do as they pleased in the life of him and his family. But John would have to learn having faith in God also means embracing His plan. "John, please, accept that I am here to help. God doesn't send angels _in case_ humans need them. He sends them _because_ humans need them."

Though a little more calm, John replied with another aggravated groan. "Fine," he muttered. "God can do whatever He wants to do. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Well, there is one way for you to talk to God about this," Monica informed him.

Not hopeful about her answer, John retorted, "Let me guess. Pray?"

"Yes. Pray," Monica answered, then watched with disappointment as John gave her annoyed look and storm into the hallway.

* * *

Twenty minutes of silence felt like twenty hours. At least, it did to a certain _very_ talkative angel who had a hard time keeping her mouth shut.

Gloria squirmed in her chair as the dinner proceeded without a word said by those attended. With the fork in her right hand, she picked at the chicken on her plate, while she tried in vain to keep her other hand from drumming her fingers on the table. This tense quiet made her nervous, and being nervous meant she couldn't eat _or_ sit still. It didn't help that her natural response to anxiety was to ramble on to whoever would listen.

A quick glance across the table proved that her supervisor was growing weary of the silence too. Monica glanced around the table while she also barely ate her food, as if expecting someone to break the silence within the next thirty seconds. Of course, she'd been the only one to attempt conversation at the start of the meal, but that effort proved useless when all talk ceased after Monica's initial questions.

Up until then, Gloria had been concentrating on not opening her mouth. She knew, and she thought her supervisor knew too, that rather than break the ice, she would only accidentally make it worse. This was especially the case because of how anxious she was. After all, there was no telling what she would say. And she suspected that no one was in the mood to laugh off whatever odd comment she made.

But she _had_ to say something. This was driving her nuts.

Finally, she glanced at Monica, who knew what Gloria meant. After she thought for maybe half a minute, Monica sighed and nodded at her caseworker.

Gloria had a feeling that Monica was essentially saying, _Oh, go ahead, it can't get any worse than it is now._

Grateful for the go-ahead, Gloria decided to keep it simple. "So…how was the daycare center today?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Monica sigh with relief.

William took the hint and tried to start a conversation. "Great! Kind of a slow day, no disasters for once." He paused, then laughed. "Although, a couple of days ago, Monica had to watch them all on her own for maybe ten minutes, and, well…let's just say we're still scrubbing paint out of the carpet. Whole place was a mess."

For the whole meal, John had kept his eyes down on his food. But that got him to raise an eyebrow at Monica. "_You_ couldn't keep track of a few kids on your own? Really?"

Puzzled at first, Gloria remembered that John knew that Monica was an angel. She then supposed his confusion made sense. After all, Monica once explained to her that humans often had the impression that angels were perfect, all-knowing beings.

"Well, I may be the manager, but everyone messes up sometimes," Monica explained.

John gave her a knowing smirk. "Right. Because you're only human."

Amused by the false remark, Monica chose to ignore it and redirected the conversation. "So, Erica…how have you been feeling lately?"

At the other end of the small dining room table, across from John, his wife didn't immediately reply. It became clear that this was because Erica wasn't quite awake. The food on her plate hadn't been touched. Erica's head was resting on her shoulder, her eyes half-closed.

Concerned, John asked in a loud voice, "Erica, honey?"

"Huh?" Erica asked as she slowly opened her eyes. While normally she would've snapped her head back up and focused her attention, she could only move her head off her shoulder and blink. "Was I sleeping? Oh, I'm so sorry, this is embarrassing…"

Gloria jumped out of her chair and went to Erica's side. "Oh, it's fine. Here, why don't I help you to your room to get some rest? I'll help you back later if you feel up to it."

"That would be wonderful, thank you, Gloria," Erica replied. When Gloria had helped her to her feet, Erica turned to the others. "I'm so sorry about this, really. I promise I'll back for dessert later."

"Don't you worry about it. Worry about getting some rest," Monica assured her.

John nodded. "Yes, get some sleep. I'll check on you when we're finished here."

"Thank you so much for understanding," Erica replied. She smiled at her daughter and William, who each said good-bye, then followed Gloria into the hallway. "I can't believe I fell asleep," she whispered to Gloria.

While Erica was embarrassed, Gloria wished that her assignment understood that _no one_ back in that dining room was laughing at the incident. "Erica…they all know what you're going through. There is absolutely no reason to be embarrassed."

"I know. But in a way, I want to be embarrassed," Erica insisted. At Gloria's confused look, she explained, "Normal people are supposed to be embarrassed when they fall asleep during dinner."

"Oh, I get it. Well, if it makes you feel better, you didn't miss any fascinating conversation. In fact, you didn't miss any conversation," Gloria joked.

Erica chuckled, then grew serious. "Yes, that didn't go as well as I'd hoped."

In response, Gloria paused as she attempted to come up with some comforting words about the future. She could only find a weak, general phrase – "It'll get better over time."


End file.
